Covid-19 Pandemic Changes World

March 2020

By Eva Levin

You have heard the story before. A virus wipes out wide swaths of the population, leaving a select few to live in a dystopian world. The subject of science fiction novels is now a harsh reality.

COVID-19, or the coronavirus, is a highly contagious respiratory disease that originated in Wuhan, China. The first known case was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) as pneumonia of an unknown origin. That one case grew into a “cluster,” according to the WHO, which then exponentially grew. By Jan. 13, there was a confirmed case outside of China. The number of cases grew. More and more travel restrictions were put in place. Events were shut down as the virus was officially declared a pandemic. The public was warned against gatherings of larger than 50 people. Within a week, that number went down to 10. A few days later, “social distancing” became the new normal, with the public being urged to stay at home and only go out for absolutely necessary reasons. Phones flash every few minutes with a headline detailing various government responses, a celebrity who tested positive, or the total number of cases worldwide. 

The worldwide practice of social distancing began around March 13, when people began staying home and urged others to do the same. Streaming services became an escape for those in self-quarantine, which soon became the majority of the world. Nasdaq.com predicted that Netflix would gain over seven million members, while both Disney+ and Universal released new movies months before they were supposed to be digitally available.

Celebrities took to social media to warn their fans to stay safe at home. Kristen Bell shared “Camp Quarantine” activities with her kids, while Gal Gadot led a group of celebrities in a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” However, there was one place where the rules of social distancing didn’t apply: the grocery store. 

Lines for grocery stores wrapped around the block. If someone got in after an hour wait, they would be treated to empty shelves and absolutely no more toilet paper. Despite a shelter-in-place order in most states, grocery stores remained open and functional. Even though there was wide acceptance of staying six feet apart from people when in public, grocery stores became crowded as fears of a nationwide lock down and mandatory quarantine grew. Mass hoarding was a common occurrence.

The growth of stockpiling revealed income disparity within the nation. While food like frozen meals and canned vegetables sold out, necessities like diapers and toilet paper were soon added to the list of hoarded items. Some who had extra money to spare spent it on buying out the bread shelves at local supermarkets and big box stores alike. However, much of the population could not afford to buy large quantities of necessary items and simply had to go without them. Take mother of four Lauren Whitney, who posted a viral video of her at a store tearfully asking how she was supposed to diaper her children if she could not afford to buy large quantities of diapers the second they hit the shelves. Whitney was not alone in her financial struggles. According to a Federal Reserve study conducted in 2019, around 40 percent of Americans would have trouble paying off an emergency expense of $400 or more. While the citizens of America needed more money, the economy fell around them.

Over the course of a week, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped approximately 4,300 points. The market became extremely unpredictable, with rapid decreases due to the spread of the virus. Goldman Sachs stated that unemployment claims rose to over two million, tripling the previous record high, and the unemployment rate was expected to go as high as 30 percent as the virus progressed. 

It seemed as if something different closed every day. The NBA shut down, then concerts were postponed, retailers packed up shop, schools were out of commission for an indefinite period of time. When shelter-in-place orders were put in place, nearly everything closed. Thousands of people were out of jobs and out of a steady income, which eventually led to a record-setting two trillion dollar government stimulus package. The closures were widespread and encouraged more and more people to stay inside, safe at home.

Coronavirus became a way of life. News stations broadcasted updates 24/7. A visit to the YouTube home page featured news clips of information about the disease. Advertisements on radio stations all said the same messages of “trying times.” One phrase popped up everywhere: “We’re all in this together.” COVID-19 didn’t discriminate based on gender, color, or sexual orientation. Everyone had an equal chance to get infected.

No one knew what was going to happen after the virus subsided. No one even knew when the virus was going to finally subside. However, there is one thing that we can be sure of: COVID-19 spawned a new and forever changed world.